Annabeth in Wonderland
by carousella
Summary: After running after a guy who accidentally grabbed her mother's book, Annabeth Chase fell into a deep hole. Realizing it to be the entrance of an underground city, one thing leads to another, and now the Red Queen wants her dead. With the help of a gorgeous but cocky Mad Hatter, Annabeth will uncover secrets that she, herself never knew. (Based off Alice in Wonderland. Percabeth.)
1. Into the rabbit hole

**This idea came up in my head suddenly, like, suddenly suddenly. You get what I mean? No? Oh, well. **

**This is the first PJO story I've ever posted in ! (a bunch more in my flashdisk but let's not talk about that.) Anyone else excited for BoO? *everybody raises hand* Okay, stupid question. Of course everyone is *coughcough***

**A - Anyway, on with the story! Oh, and a little something to brighten up your day;**

**"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."  
― Jess C. Scott, The Intern_  
_**

**Disclaimer : I'm not some dude, 'nuff said.**

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**Annabeth in Wonderland**

In the city of New York, where bustling crowds and cars honking are a sign of a normal day, stood a little apartment. And in that shabby, little apartment is where Annabeth Chase lives, along with her older brother, Malcolm Chase. And her boring, uneventful life will soon change. Poor Annabeth didn't know about what fate had in store for her.

Yet.

"Annabeth, stop reading and have fun!"

Annabeth looked up from her book, meeting her brother's grey eyes. "No." She said, and adjusted her position on the couch.

Malcolm groaned and snatched the thick book from the blonde's grasp, followed by a 'Hey!' Malcolm stood up and held the book way over his head. Annabeth huffed and hopped off the couch, placing her hands on her hips.

"Malcolm! Give it back!"

"No." The older boy stuck his tongue out.

"Oh, wow. Aren't you mature." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Annie."

"Don't call me that!" Annabeth hissed. "And give me my book! I was getting to the good parts!"

"I don't care." Malcolm retorted. "You spend most of your time reading books, go live a little, godsdamnit."

Annabeth reached her hand up in an attempt to grab the book, but Malcolm held it higher above his head. Damn him and puberty!

Annabeth then got an idea, a smirk crept up her face as she turned around, walking slowly towards the apartment door.

Malcolm eyed his sister skeptically, he knew she was planning something, and whatever it is, he won't budge, it's for his sister's social life's sake –

"I guess I'll tell Natalie about that day you accidentally kissed a guy in the christmas party."

Shit.

Malcolm's eyes widened and he pointed Annabeth with his free hand's index finger. "Annabeth, don't you dare." He warned her, like that will work. "Annabeth if you take one more step toward the door – Annabeth!" But the said girl already ran out of the door, undoubtedly trying to ruin his life.

Malcolm cursed and ran after her, the book still in his grasp. He found her about to knock on a certain someone's door. "Annabeth! If you love me, your big bro, papa bear, loving brother, and all that stuff, don't do it!" Malcolm cried.

Annabeth just grinned and knocked the door.

Once.

Twice.

"Okay, Okay!" Malcolm waved his hands frantically, shoving the book into Annabeth's hands. "There, happy now?"

Annabeth smiled smugly. "Very."

"Jerk." Malcolm muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Annabeth to hear. The younger blonde merely rolled her eyes. "C'mon, let's get out of here before Natalie – "

"Malcolm?"

The said boy froze. He looked over his shoulder slowly, an awkward grin made it's way into his face. "H – H – Hey, Natalie..." He stuttered, pushing his glasses up up his nose.

Annabeth mentally facepalmed. Her brother has an obvious, massive crush on their neighbor, Natalie Johnson. She couldn't blame him, Natalie's gorgeous. She has natural waist length honey blonde hair and bright emerald green eyes. Natalie is nice, and really fun to be with with a sense of humour.

And judging by her bright smile and the pink on her cheeks, Natalie liked Malcolm too.

As they engage in a (really awkward) conversation about how college life is, with Malcolm tripping over his words and Natalie laughing, Annabeth quietly stepped out, and made her way to their apartment door. As she rounded on the corner, the cliche happened.

"Ouch!" she cried when the stranger bumped into her, effectively making her fall on her butt and the stranger's things to fall and scatter everywhere.

"I'm so sorry!" The stranger cried. "Are you hurt?"

_**No, JUST MARVELOUS! **_Annabeth wanted to scream, but instead she just shook her head and stood up. "I'm fine." She reassured the stranger, dusting imaginary dust off her jeans.

"Thank goodness," Judging by his deep voice, the stranger is a dude. Annabeth looked up to meet a pair of sky blue eyes. From behind his hat she saw strands of blond hair sticking out. Just above his lips, was a small cut. Though Annabeth couldn't help but wonder how the cut resembled a stapler.

The young man checked his pocket watch (who uses a _pocket watch_?) and his face morphed into a panicked one. "Oh, shit, I'm late! I'm late for a very important date!" He cried and quickly gathered up his fallen things, rushing down the stairs after he did so.

Annabeth stood there dumbfounded. She distinctly remembered the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland saying the same thing, without the 'shit' of course, because, you know, it'll be innapropriate for a children's book. Basic knowledge.

Annabeth mentally face palmed again and bent down to pick her book.

Only to realize it wasn't there.

She cursed and straightened up. "That guy must've picked up my book when he gathered his things." Annabeth murmured. "Damnit, It was mom's gift for me too."

She ran down the stairs, praying to the gods that he's not too far ahead. Once she reached the bottom floor, her grey eyes caught a dark red hat and a black coat exiting the building in a hurried manner.

_**There he is! **_Annabeth thought and followed him out. She was met by a group of busy New Yorkers, most of them wearing black.

Just great.

"Fucking son of a – " Annabeth started to curse, but stopped when she saw the dissaproving look of a black haired lady walking by.

Her grey eyes darted everywhere, and she finally spotted a dark red hat amongst the black. Unfortunately, she was far behind him.

She pushed her way through the sea of black, not seldom being shoved back. She was breathless when she made her way out, just in time to see the stranger turn to an alley.

"Hey! Mister!" Annabeth tried calling out, but the stranger was too far to hear. The blonde groaned and ran to the previous alley.

Normally, when normal law abiding citizen sees a dark, creepy alley, they would avoid it, right? Well, not for Annabeth.

"To hell with this."

And she entered the dark alley.

'It's dark' was the first thing that came to her mind. Annabeth slapped her palm on her forehead. "Stupid, of course it's dark. I'm in a fucking alley! It's all that stranger's fault, anyway! If he picked up his things carefully, and actually realize he's grabbing someone else's thing, I wouldn't be stuck in this dark place! When I get my hands on that guy – I'll strangle the hell out of him!" Annabeth made a strangling move with both of her hands. "That'll teach him to be careful next time!"

Poor Annabeth didn't see the hole in front of her, and how she will fall in the hands of the queen.

Literally.

"And I'll force him to buy me those expensive chocolate scones on the cafe near the apartment. That's the least he can do after that – AAAAAAAH!"

**And Annabeth Chase**

**Fell into the 'rabbit' hole**

**Not knowing about the city**

**Beneath her, standing proud and tall**

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**First Chapter finished. **

**Please review and tell me what you think, yes, even you, accountless reader.**

**Should I continue this? Critics are welcomed!**

**Don't worry, Percabeth **_**will **_**happen. **

**Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day!**

**\- Carousella**


	2. Underground Citites and Floating Grins

***dodges bullet* I'M SORRY EVERYONE – WAIT PUT THE GUN DOWN I CAN EXPLAIN – **

**Holy Hera, Guys. Sorry for posting so late but I was out of town and I couldn't bring my laptop with me. **

**Before I answer your reviews, I want to thank TheBookNerd101 for being my very first reviewer! Seriously, thanks. Here, have a (cyber) cookie!**

**VampyreEmoHunter : Here's the second chapter, thank you very much for reviewing!**

**IIII Winter Wolf IIII : Oh my gosh, really? Thank you! Although I never read Heart of Hearts, ahaha. (Watching me closely? What are you, a ninja? :D)**

**kat'n'kat : Thank you very much! And I will do my best for this story, I promise. And for the cursing; Yeah, I read my story again and I realized it has too many cursing. I'll make sure to be careful next time.**

**Forever-Fangirl-PJO-HP : Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod! You're like, one of my favorite authors in Fanfiction! I love your 'How we could have met' story, It's so cute! Thank you so much for taking the time to review this story! *takes deep breath* Okay, I'm cool. But seriously, thank you and I will not fail you!**

**ArcherGirl12 : Yes, this is the second chapter. Thank you for reviewing!**

**Jbrenchley123 : Yes, I'm planning to make Percabeth soon, but not too soon. Please bear with me, thank you for reviewing!**

**GirlOfTheForge : Well, yes. I am continuing and thank you so much for the support! But should I replace Jason with Octavian? ****Because he's annoying and a talker but whatever**

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**Annabeth in Wonderland**

**Chapter 2 : Welcome to Wonderland!**

Annabeth kept falling, and falling, and falling. It's like the stupid hole's bottomless!

She stopped screaming a few minutes ago, because her throat was starting to hurt and she realized it's pointless. So here she is, falling down a seemingly bottomless hole.

_**Oh, sure I'm cool. Totally calm, ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT I'M FALLING TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH! **_Annabeth screamed inwardly. She couldn't see a damn thing and her stomach is beginning to rumble.

Then, the hole started to light up, and Annabeth could barely make out the things in front of her. Once the hole is completely bright, she saw a cupboard hovering the opposite of her.

What.

Annabeth's jaw dropped open. Before she could even register the weird sight in her mind, something hit her head.

"What the – " The blonde murmured, grabbing the small thing before it could get away. "Orange marmalade..?"

Sure enough, the bottle had **Orange Marmalade **etched on the plastic covering.

Annabeth's stomach rumbled again, pleading Annabeth to feed it. _**Well, better than nothing. **_The blonde decided, and lifted the lid. Only to find it empty.

Annabeth groaned and let go of the bottle, and it flew up. Other things, like furniture, metals, and useless junks kept appearing, keeping her company. Yep, nothing beats the company of metals and lifeless things while falling who-knows-how-long.

Note the sarcasm.

After what seemed like hours, the hole ended, revealing a clearing and Annabeth's eyes widened.

From the rusted buildings, the smell of smoke and scrap metal, the tiny houses that stood – some squeezed between two other houses – side by side, and the clankings of hammers, It looked like those cities you'd find in a steampunk movie.

After taking the time to admire the view, Annabeth realized that she was falling to another – larger – hole. _**It's official, I hate holes. **_She thought, as she, and her other inanimated friends dived through the large hole, that closed up immediately after the last junk fell in.

The girl fell on a pile of rusted cans, not exactly a landing worthy of a perfect 10, but, hey. She promptly stood up and dusted her jeans and clothes before fixing her hair and tying it up in a ponytail.

"What is this place.." Annabeth wondered.

Just then, the blonde haired stranger she's been looking for, passed in front of her, not even acknowledging Annabeth's presence. He kept saying "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!" over and over like some sort of mantra. Annabeth caught a glimpse of her mother's book's cover from his leather bag.

"Hey! You! Wait up!" Annabeth called out, but to no avail. She ran after him, cursing under her breath.

Eventually, she caught up with the blonde man, grabbing his coat and yanking him backwards. Both blondes fell down with an 'oomph!'.

The stranger spun his head around to look at her angrily. "What do you want, girl? Can't you see I'm very late?" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Oh, silly me! I didn't know, since you're so busy saying 'I'm late' over and over again!"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Did you follow me here?"

"Don't use that tone with me!" Annabeth snapped. "If you didn't grab my book I wouldn't even be here!"

"Book? What book?"

"That book!" Annabeth pointed her index finger at the leather covered book in the stranger's bag. "The one you accidentaly grabbed when we crashed!"

The blonde man looked surprised, and he easily slid out the book from his black bag. "You could've told me earlier. You wouldn't have to – " The book slipped from his hands and fell, revealing the first page.

"Hey! Watch it!" Annabeth snapped. "That was my mother's!"

But the blonde stranger was staring at the neat, perfect handwriting on the right corner of the page. _**Athena C.**_ It said.

"You – You – " The stranger looked at her, bewilderment and worry in his eyes. "Your mother is Athena?"

"Yeah, Isn't it obvious?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. What is this guy, an idiot?

The man's eyes narrowed. "Are you from the surface? The sky ground? Up there?" He nodded his head towards the ceiling, to emphasise his point.

"If you're reffering to New York, then yes. I am from the surface." The blonde man's eyes narrowed dangerously, anxiety glinting in his eyes.

He was too fast, and Annabeth didn't expect it, but the next thing she knew, her wrists were pinned against her back, a pair of arms locking them in place. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Annabeth screeched, she tried to break free, but the stranger's hands were firm.

"Dakota! Gwen!" He shouted, and for a second nothing happened. But then the sound of shoes tapping against the floor echoed trough the room, and two figures appeared in the room.

It was a man and a woman, the two clad in armor while holding some kind of spear.

"Yes, Jason?" They both answered.

The blonde stranger, Jason, gestured towards Annabeth. "Take her and lock her up in the dungeons. When I come back, take her to the Red Queen."

Dakota and Gwen exchanged curious looks.

"She's from the ... surface," Jason spat, as if the word itself would kill him. "And she's a child of Athena, of the twelve Olympians."

Gwen scrunched up her eyebrows, her lips formed a line. "But I thought we killed all of her children."

"Well, apparently, this one's hidden well."

Annabeth's head was swirling. Athena? Olympians? The Red Queen? Annabeth didn't know, and everyone knows how much she doesn't like not knowing stuffs.

Eventually, her curiousity got the better of her. "What are you talking about? What about my mother?"

Dakota looked at her, then frowned. "By the gods, she has Athena's eyes."

"Don't ignore my question!" She hissed and glared at him, making the man flinch a tad bit.

Jason shoved Annabeth into Dakota and Gwen, who held her by her arms and proceeded to drag her out of the room.

Jason turned around and started walking to the other direction, and Annabeth swore she heard a faint 'I'm so sorry.' Before he ran off.

"I just want my mom's book, you jerks! Not being dragged to a dungeon!" Annabeth shouted, as she kept trashing around.

Dakota and Gwen rolled their eyes. "Graecus."

Suddenly, Annabeth heard a clang!, and the grip on her arm loosened.

Annabeth took the opportunity and elbowed Dakota, hard, effectively knocking out the young man. She looked from her shoulders and saw Gwen already down on the floor.

Annabeth heard a laugh, and her grey eyes darted everywhere, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who's there?"

Then a chesire like grin appeared.

No, literally only the grin. As in the grin is floating in mid air. Annabeth had seen a lot of weird things, but this just takes the blow.

"Oh god, I'm not on drugs, am I?"

A louder laugh, and Annabeth's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Poor, Little girl. Unfortunate enough to fall into the rabbit hole."

"Show yourself, I'm not afraid of a stupid voice!" Annabeth bellowed, her voice not even quivering.

"Ooh, feisty." The grin only got wider. "Alright, I've had my laugh."

The grin stayed, but a face and a body of a male started to show out of thin air.

Annabeth studied the boy. He has dark brown curly hair, and chocolate skin. His brown eyes hold a michevious twinkle and the wide grin on his face never falters. He's quite scrawny, Annabeth thought. And he looked like an elf, with his pointed ears and mischevious face.

He was wearing a white shirt and a pair of worn jeans, with a brown leather tool belt strapped around his waist.

"So, what brings you here?" The boy asked.

"My mother's book." Annabeth grumbled. "That Jason guy took it away."

The latino boy flinched a bit and his grin slightly faltered, Annabeth noticed.

But as quick as it dissapeared, the crazy grin appeared again.

"So, you're Athena of the Olympians' daughter, huh?"

"And you're the guy who can dissapear, huh?"

"The name's Leo. Leo Valdez." The latino boy – Leo – chuckled. "And the dissapearing thing? All thanks to this contraption right here."

Leo pointed at a small button circling around his neck.

"Okaay.." Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "So, what's with all this Olympians stuff? And why is me being a daughter of Athena such a big deal?"

Leo opened his mouth – before a groan came from the two unconcious guards on the ground.

Leo grabbed Annabeth's wrist and ran, dragging Annabeth with him. "I'll tell you when we get there!" He shouted. "If those two wake up, they'll call for help and trust me, I can't handle a whole lot of army!"

"Slow down – Ow! – And where are we going?!"

Leo looked from over his shoulders, his crazy grin widening. "Where else? We're going to Percy 'Mad Hatter' Jackson's place!"

Before Annabeth could even ask, Leo added up.

"Oh – by the time we get there, the Red Queen probably wants you dead!"

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**The trip to Percy's place won't be easy, since they will have to encounter the multiple doors and the talking doorknow and the twins.**

**Don't worry, there will be **_**no**_** LeoAnnabeth, I assure you.**

**And I'll try to update as soon as possible!**

**Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day!**

**Carousella.**


	3. Where's the dragon - Oh, there it is

**Hi! *dodges canons* I'd make a reasonable excuse for the hiatus, but I'm not that kind of person. School was stressing me out with the tests and homeworks that I didn't have time to open my laptop. And I know it's been – what, a year?**

**Oh, Happy New Year, Everybody!**

**Back to the topic, I am so sorry for the update and I'll try to update regularly from now on. But I can't promise you.**

**Anyway, hereeeee's Chapter 3! *awkwardly steps off stage***

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**Annabeth in Wonderland**

**Chapter 3 : What dragon – Oh, there it is.**

"Valdez, are we there yet?"

Annabeth's voice resonated through the dark tunnel, the only sound accompanying them are the sounds of their footsteps on the cold ground. She couldn't see anything except Leo's faint figure.

"Nope." The boy said, popping the 'p'. "We're not even halfway there."

"Are you kidding me."

"Well, Percy's place is quite far from the rabbit hole. But don't worry, we're taking the shortcut!" Leo grinned, pumping his fist though Annabeth couldn't see it. "Although, we would be halfway there if Festus was ..." He trailed off, suddenly the gleam in his eyes was gone.

"Is Festus was ... what?" Annabeth asked, then realized his silence. She understood his discomfort and decided to pry no further. "It's okay, no need to tell me."

""Sorry." Leo then cleared his throat, and turned his face towards Annabeth's. "Enough of this deppresing silence, look! We're almost at the end of the tunnel!" And indeed they were. Annabeth looked at where he was pointing at, and saw a light.

"Nice," Leo grinned widely, his pearly whites glinting. "One step away from the Queen, One step closer from the fire breathing dragon."

Annabeth whipped her head towards Leo. "Excuse me? If I recall correctly, I didn't hear anything about a fire breathing dragon." She shot him a look, placing her hands on her hips.

"Really?" Leo stroked his chin thoughtfully, then shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I forgot then. So, you see the light in the end of the tunnel, it came from the meadow ahead. It's a really nice meadow, but it's not exactly a tourist magnet , since dragons and people don't really fit together."

"I don't think it's wise for us – _me _to go there." Annabeth stated, stopping her tracks. "The idea of being a shish kebab doesn't sound very appealing for me."

"You know, life ain't a cloud kingdom, _" _Leo quipped. "When you fall, you're not going to be okay. You can bandage it, but it'll still leave a scar. But then you ignore the pain, and somehow you forgot it's there. But ignoring doesn't mean it's not there. Someday you're gonna sit alone and see your, like, knee and then you remember the scar. And then the pain will come back, not just physical pain, you see, the pain of the memory of you falling and being laughed at, it just ... hurts." He took a deep breath and looked at her from his shoulder, grinning.

"I don't think I understand that myself, but let's just ignore that and visit that dragon!" Leo beckoned the blonde to trudge forward, and did that himself.

Annabeth bit the inside of her lip, and looked back at the start of the tunnel.

"Damnit, here goes nothing."

And she walked foward to the light.

No traces of said dragon, was the first thing that Annabeth noted. Then she looked around. The meadow was green and smelled nice. It was a small meadow, but strangely enough...

"Hey, Leo?" Annabeth called out, tilting her head to the side but keeping her eyes foward. "How come this meadow is green and healthy when the air is like, hot and dry, and the rest of the land is red and crippled?" She leaned on a nearby tree, using her elbow to prop herself off.

"Yeah, Annabeth? Remember that dragon?" He was standing on the red ground rather than the plushy meadow.

Her eyes zeroed on Leo, who looked a bit ... frightened? What?

"Yeah..." The blonde nodded slowly, not liking where this is going. "I'm not seeing him anywhere!"

Leo sucked in a breath and bit his lip, putting his hands in his pockets. His eyes darted anywhere but her, "You're kinda leaning on his horn."

She stared at him.

"The meadow _is _the dragon."

"You can't be seri..ous..." Annabeth trailed off as she noticed an identical tree a few steps apart and the bushes lined like scales. She cursed and carefully pried her elbow off the brown trunk. And tip toed her way off the green land.

She normally doesn't slip, but hey! Accidents happen. She muffled a scream and she tumbled forward, and it was _not _a quiet _trip_. **(A/N Get it? Trip?) **

She landed on her behind, with a few leaves and roots in her hair. She promptly picked them off her locks and stood up. "Well! That was uh ... something. And I didn't even woke up the dra –"

The puffs of steam failed her sentence. Annabeth looked behind and met a pair of silver glowing eyes, it's crescent like pupil narrowing at her. She sighed.

"Uh, Annabeth? You're standing on it's snout!" Leo shouted from the side.

"Not. Helping!" Annabeth hissed, and gritted her teeth. Annabeth wasted no time on jumping off his snout and ran to Leo's side. But the dragon was awake, and as he stood up, roots detaching from the ground and the meadow stood on his back, and leaves sprouting and vines hanging off his body, he opened his mouth, and there, Annabeth saw, a line of sharp whites, glinting. It's long tongue was hanging off his jaw. She would've been gawking at the picture of Majestic in front of her If it's not there to kill her.

Annabeth felt hot, and she saw red building in the back of his long throat like a lava through a dark tunnel. She had second to react before she'd become a roasted Annabeth.

"Leo, move!" She pushed herself and the boy beside her out of the way just before rains of steaming red came out of his hanging jaw. "Run. Run!" She said it twice, the last one with more force. Leo complied with no hesitation, and he dashed off.

Annabeth followed him, running as fast as her legs could take her, with the dragon hot on her trail, every five minute or so spitting fire. Annabeth then remembered something.

"Leo, you can turn invinsible! Get help!"

The brown haired boy whacked his own head and dissapeared. Not before shouting a "Be careful! He breathes fire!" and Annabeth replied with a "No shit, Sherlock!"

'Great, now it's just myself.' She could feel her legs being more tired, but she won't give up now, she reprimanded herself.

"How do I beat a dragon?" She racked her brain for something. Something useful. She noticed the way it walked, and his eyes was set in one place, he was not even blinking. His movements were uncoordinated and sloppy, as if he tripping. His tongue kept twitching and dangling.

"Of course, he's blind!" Annabeth came in a conclusion. She was nearly out of breath, but she kept going. "But if that was true, how is he still chasing me?"

His tongue.

Annabeth remembered that snakes and some lizards uses their tongues to navigate their way and for finding their pray by detecting their body heat. It's gonna be gross, Annabeth shuddered, but she had to cut it's tongue off.

And Annabeth picked a sharp, pointed stone and ran back to the dragon. She saw red building again and dodged the fire. The rock was slowing her down, but it beats being dead. The dragon closed it's mouth and began making fire.

Wait a minute.

When he was building fire, his mouth closed and his step wavered blindly. He can't see when he was building his fire, and she noticed, that before he would breathe fire, he took 10 seconds before launching it.

Which meant she only had 10 ssecond to cut off his tongue.

She didn't know whether she had really fast reflexes or what, but it felt natural for her to jump and dodge and backflip, it's like she was born with those abilities. Annabeth grabbed on a strong looking vine and swung herself forward and forward, before jumping on the dragon's back. It stopped, not locating any moving object. Annabeth ran to it's head, before ...

"Annabeth!" She saw Leo between two taller guys, hands cupped in front of his mouth as a makeshift megaphone.

"Leo! Distract the dragon!" Annabeth shouted as she dodged a tumbling tree trunk. "I'm going to cut his tongue off!"

Leo nodded and waved his arms frantically, the other two guys just watched him. "Oi! Uh, dragon breath! Want a piece of the McShizzle here?!"

The dragon trudged it's way to Leo, who kept flailing his arms and shouting. Annabeth felt the ground beneath her getting hot and she took it as her cue.

"Annabeth, catch!" Leo shouted and threw her a sword (how did he have that?) and Annabeth dropped the sharp rock before catching the sharpened blade and ran forward.

She counted the second to 10, and she got to 5 when she jumped off the dragon's snout, hair flying behind her, and lifted the sword before bringing it down on the long flesh. Red and green splattered everywhere as the reptile stopped, and fell down on the red ground.

Leo called her name, and she turned around, soaked in dragon blood as she mustered a smile and gave him a thumbs up.

"Whoo!" Leo whooped, his chesire grin coming back. "Not bad, little lady." Annabeth scoffed. "Not bad? Bitch, I just killed a 30 foot tall reptile, how's that for not bad?"

Leo raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Told you fellas she's feisty." He said to the other two.

"Huh, you're right."

"I guess we'll help you out."

Annabeth frowned and her eyes darted from the first twin to the other. "Who's this?"

The taller one smiled. "The names's Connor." He gestured to the boy in the right. "And this goof right here is – "

"Travis." The other finished, flashing Annabeth a trouble making smile.

"But you can call us The Stoll Twins."

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**Alrighty! That cuts it! That's all for today's chapter and I'll see you, in the next update. *winks***

**Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day!**

**Carousella**


	4. Insane People Are Insane

**Hi, folks! I was in a huge writer's block and I couldn't update for a few weeks! Ahahaha - what's that? It's been months? Woah! How time flies, am I right? Ahahahaha ... haha .. ha *nervous sweating***

**Now, before we get into the reviews, I'd like to thank everyone for supporting, favoriting and followed this story and basically just putting up with my idiocy. **

**And now, onto the reviews! ;**

Forever-Fangirl-PJO-HP **: You're welcome! And yes, percabeth. :)**

TheBookNerd101 : **YES. NOW THE STORY HAS UPDATED. Haha, thank you for your continuing support! :)**

ArcherGirl12 : **Thank you, I appreciate it. Be sure to drop a review! :)**

**MARINA : Thank you! It's updated and thank you for the support you've given! :)**

roriks : **No, you make _my _day happy with your support! And Octavian's a jerk, of course he would, haha! :)**

: **Really? I think Rachel's an awesome character - but the real reason people hate on her is because she kissed Percy. I _was_ a little miffed, but she's a really cool character as the story gradually continued. :)**

jewelsky11 : **Well, lucky for you, your wish is granted! :)**

NoRealNameBecauseImBroke : **Now I have! At ease, men. Ahaha, but a deep deep thank you for your continuing support over there! :)**

IIII Winter Wolf IIII : **Thank you! Be sure to drop off a review! :)**

Jazzywazzy101 : **Thank you for your support! Be sure to drop off a review! :)**

Aveca : **Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me to hear anyone say that! Thank you for your support! :)**

RainingLilies : **Sure! Be sure to credit Lewis Carol! Remember, you are a creative being and duplicating is wrong. But I'm sure you won't, thank you for your support! :)**

AncientTide : **Thank you sooo much for the support! And no, it's not. It's a random name that popped in my head! Ahahaha! Be sure to drop off a review! :)**

**Pixelized : I have, thank you! :)**

ravenwolf24 : **For me, Leo's the most suitable for Chesire, since he's always smiling and joking - sensually calm, but he's hiding something underneath that chesire grin of his. I don't know about you, but that's just my opinion. Thank you for your support! :)**

: **Thank you so much! Remember to drop off a review! Thanks for your support! :)**

* * *

Chapter 4 : Insane people are insane and their insanity can grow by the minute.

Annabeth eyed the grinning boys. "And what, if I may ask, are the services you're willing to offer?"

"They'll drop you off at Piper's." Leo answered for her. "She's the dormouse, she'll take you to Percy's."

"Yep. Anywhere, in no time." The taller one (Connor?) answered, his hand fishing out a key from his back pocket. Travis eyed the small object and casted a scowl at his brother.

"Dude, you were holding the key all this time? I thought you said you lost it – "

"Yeah, well. I'm driving."

"What the fuck? You drove the last time!"

"Finder's keepers."

"You didn't find it! You hid it, you jerk – "

"Wait – wait," Annabeth interrupted, holding both hands in front of her. "You're driving us there?"

Both boys looked at her. "What, you're expecting us to carry you there? On foot?"

Travis flashed her a million dollar grin and Connor went to check the engine of a contraption behind them.

"Listen, Annabeth." He draped an arm over her shoulder, which she responded by glowering and crushing his hand. Travis quickly detached himself, and continued.

"We, the Stoll brothers, have a need for speed," And with a smaller voice, he added. "And perhaps pick pocketing too – goddamn my hand hurts."

Annabeth rolled her eyes before facing Leo. "You're coming, right?"

Leo shook is head. "Nah, I'll stay here and make sure those pesky guards won't suspect an intruder. Plus, a defeated dragon! I'm going to freaking boast about my heroism!"

Annabeth coughed. "You mean your _assistance _and _my _heroism?" She shot him a look. Leo just shrugged. "Sure, whatever. You deserve some ladies too."

Connor's shout made both of them turn their heads to the engine. "I've never seen a car like that." Annabeth mused.

"Well, it's not a car, per se. It's … cars. Those unused car engines and body parts from the surface can come in real handy. The engine's from

A Bugatti Veyron –I mean, not complaining here – but who'd throw a car with an engine like that?" Leo said enthusiastically. " By the way, I made and put everything to place. The body parts are some Rottweiler, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo – damn, and – "

"Hey, Leo." Connor interrupted, raising an amused eyebrow. "If you're done talking about your machine boner, Annabeth will be going."

Leo smiled with a hint of sheepishness. "Heh, sorry."

The scrawny boy held out a hand. "See you, Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you, Leo." She muttered, before climbing up the waiting vehicle. The boy stopped her and whispered something in her ear, confusing the curly blonde.

Leo grinned and turned his back to leave, before stopping.

He looked at her in the eye. "Oh, and a warning – those two guys loves to tell stories, my ears almost bled when they won't shut the fuck up about the walrus and clams."

To prove his point, Leo covered his ears.

Annabeth stifled a laugh when the two Stolls casted a glare and drove off, showering Leo with dust. "Watch your pockets, repair boy!" They shouted as they left him.

Travis gave her a wide grin. "So, to the Mad Hatter's place we go?"

Annabeth nodded, a faint grin curling on her lips. "So, tell me about this … 'Percy' guy."

Travis looked up and hummed. "Well, he's good looking, I'll give you that – no, Connor, complimenting a guy doesn't make me gay." The boy scowled at the other twin. Connor only shrugged, eyeing him from the corner of his eye.

After muttering a 'Sheesh, society.', he continued. "And he's kinda … how to put it nicely; insane."

"How the fuck is that supposed to be nice, shithead?" Connor smacked his brother's head.

"Will you stop interrupting me?" Travis's scowl deepened as he glared at the taller twin. "Now, he's eccentric and insane'; he likes to joke around and have tea parties – _blue _teas. Blue earl gray, blue oolong tea – sheesh. You got to have patience, but when he's serious, he's dependable and really loyal. You can't be too serious, it'll just turn him off."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"And when you meet him, whisper 'προς τα κάτω με την αιματοχυσία', he'll know you're on our side."

'Down with bloodshed.' Annabeth wondered, surprising herself for knowing the foreign words. "I'm sorry. But, I'm not in anyone's side. I just want my mother's book and get the hell out from here."

The twin's eyes steeled. Connor was the one who spoke up. "You'll decide when you see what those romans' are doing."

It was quiet; the roaring sound of the wheel meeting with hard rocks and the faint buzz was all she could hear, before Travis gave her a grin.

"So, there was a walrus and a carpenter …"

–

Annabeth forced a weak smile – that even she realized it was more of a pitiful cringe, when the two finished yet another round of The Walrus and The Carpenter.

"Guys," She said, holding up both hands. "I know I felt sad about the clams in the beginning, but now it's just annoying."

She sighed when she went unheard. "Goddamnit."

It was dark, all the way. Granted, they _were_ underground. The only light was from the vehicle she was in, lighting up the red road, and the occasional poles with a light bulb, marching on each side of the ground like a highway.

It was then she saw a silver gate, as tall as a building, two bright light poles planted on each side. Annabeth called out,.

"Guys." Only to be ignored.

The blonde gritted her teeth and twisted their ear. The Stolls yelped in pain, looking at her.

"Dude, she's strong – ow!"

"Anniebeth – ow! Okay, Annabeth, I'm holding the wheel here!"

"Now, stop the Walrus bullshit and listen to me." Annabeth glowered; the two boys cowered under her gaze. "The gate in front of us – is that Piper's?"

The brunettes looked at the silver gate and nodded.

"Yep, that's Piper's." Connor nodded frantically. "Now … could you please let us go?"

Travis agreed by nodding his head.

Annabeth was tempted to hold them in place, but she let both ears go and sat back down.

"There's still some meters left to finish The Walrus and The – "

Annabeth shot him a glare. "No."

"Dude." The brunette leaned to his brother. "I have the feeling she and Percy would hit it off real good."

"Yeah, she could teach him about manners and – "

"I can hear you, y'know."

The two straightened up. "I'm sorry!"

–

"Remember, when Piper greets you, say the words." Travis said, looking at Annabeth from the vehicle. The blonde nodded.

"What does she look like, if I may ask?"

"Well, she's pretty. With choppy brown hair – oh, and she has these eyes that can change colors so you won't know what the real color is. She also wears this weird feathers in her hair."

"You sound like you're in love with her." Annabeth mused, a smile on her lips. Travis bursted out laughing and clutched his stomach, startling the blonde.

"Ah, good laugh." Travis wiped a tear from his eye. "No, no. Piper's a good friend, I already have Katie – darling – "

Annabeth saw Connor pretending to vomit behind his brother.

" – to deal with. Well, we got to go. Good luck, Annabeth!" Travis waved a hand, and Connor flashed her an encouraging smile.

Annabeth watched as they drove off, leaving her to fend for her own. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening the gate. She didn't want to notice how it creaked and how rusty the silver glow is, and how splatters of red covered the entire pavement.

–

Annabeth went through the last bush when she came across a stand. It was old and rickety, the supposed to be yellow paint fading on the withering wood. A dim lantern was hanging off a nail. She caught a glimpse of a bell, and carefully approached it before she held out a hand to ring it.

'What if ringing this brings a shit load of bloody men?' Annabeth thought to herself, her hand inching away from the bell. 'But, it might be the bell to this Piper..'

It was then she remembered Leo's advice, the words he'd given her before she drove off.

"_Don't be afraid to take risks. It's here and it's there. You won't cross the bloody river if you're too afraid of the crocodiles."_

…

"_And tell Piper I'm sorry."_

Annabeth groaned and looked up, to the covered sky. "If I got killed, I'll crawl back from hell to kick your ass, Leo."

Then she rang the bell.

Nothing happened for a few minutes, and Annabeth wanted to ring it again – but refrained herself. 'No, be patient.' She told herself.

A minute passed and she heard a sound, faint – but it was there. Annabeth took a step back warily, grey eyes flickering everywhere. She's not going to ask 'Who's there?', she's not stupid and she doesn't want to get killed.

She was forced to see enough horror movies to know that.

The rustle was louder; it's coming towards her. Annabeth suppressed a scream when a girl's head popped from behind the stand, pearly whites glistening in the dim light.

The blonde put a hand on her frantically beating heart, breaths uneven.

"Hello!" The girl chirped and widened her smile.

Then, Annabeth took in the girl's appearance. She was beautiful, too beautiful. With beautiful light brown skin, braids in her choppy hair and beautiful kaleidoscope eyes.

Annabeth felt a burble of jealousy in her stomach and mentally kicked herself. 'Now's not the time to be jealous of someone's beauty.'

Still, her hand unconsciously drifted to her unruly and dirty blonde hair, tangling her fingers through the untamed strands.

"Hello," Annabeth responded back. "Are you, by any chance, Piper?"

The girl nodded, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "And you must be a new customer!"

Annabeth stared, dumbfounded. "Customer – excuse me?"

Piper took out a dusty book from a rack and opened the pages. "What's your name?"

"Annabeth Chase."

"Chase.." Piper's eyes flickered a bit before going back to their gleeful state. "You don't have an appointment, but I can squeeze you in. There's no one at the moment, so you may go now."

Piper took her hand and led the other girl through the mass of bushes and untamed trees – was that a party hat on one of the branches?

"Piper." Annabeth called.

"Oh, you have to love Percy's tea parties! It's so cheerful and filled with joy!" Piper giggled. Strangely, no happiness was there. "And the blue cookies he makes are a must – try, also the earl grey are completely out of stock, along with the – "

"Piper!" Annabeth called again. This time, the brunette turned her head to give her a questioning look.

"Yes?"

Annabeth took a deep breath and faced her. "προς τα κάτω με την αιματοχυσία."

Piper blinked and the forced happiness drained out of her eyes. "You're… one of us?" She asked, hope filling her voice.

Annabeth contemplated; she wasn't in anyone's side. "… Sort of."

Piper suddenly glared at her and released her hand. "Sort of? So you _are _working for those romans? Do you not know what they've done? All those deaths? All those blood? How many cries of agony filling the night? All those helplessness in their voices. How hope drained out of their eyes?"

"I'm sorry! I – I don't know anything!"Annabeth reasoned.

"Know anything?" Piper cried out. "The red queen was the reason! She was the reason we're like this! All out friends, comrades, dead!"

Piper turned to her, kaleidoscopic eyes burning through her grey ones. "So, Annabeth Chase. What side are you on?"

Annabeth stood her ground. "I met this boy, Leo."

Piper's anger faltered.

"He … he brought me here, after I fell from the hole and told me to find you, Piper. And there was a dragon, and the Stoll twins." Annabeth drawled on. "And the Walrus who tricked the carpenter, and the red queen wants me dead, and … and he said he's sorry."

"Leo…" Piper whispered, her hands clutching her dress. She looked up when Annabeth's breath got hitched.

"And, I don't know what I'm doing and what's going on and ... and who the 12 Olympians are and I hate not knowing anything! I … just wanted my book back." Annabeth slumped. "The book my mother gave me before she went missing."

Annabeth was tired. So tired.

Silence.

The blonde looked at Piper when the brunette finally spoke. "I'll ask questions later, but right now we're going to see Percy."

Piper smiled and took her hand again, leading her to a grand house. It was supposed to be grand, but the peeling paint and the shrouds covering the building was enough proof that it was abandoned and old.

Piper spoke from beside her. "You're … from the surface?"

Annabeth nodded.

"How's it going up there, what's the new trend?"

Annabeth contained her questions and answered Piper's. "Well ... Vladimir Putin baned memes from Russia."

She slapped herself mentally.

"Really?" Piper's eyes twinkled in excitement. "Is memes some sort of crime there?""

Annabeth cringed, uttering a "Kinda...", when the Piper gasped. "Wow! It's been such a long time since I've checked the Oracle!"

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. She would've asked if they didn't arrive so soon. Piper unlocked the huge mahogany door and pushed it, flinching slightly at the screeching sound.

"We're here." Piper announced cheerfully, setting both hands on her hips while the blonde observed her surroundings. It was dusty and antique, old – fashioned. Piper led the way to a room while Annabeth followed behind, eyes flicking to every corner in curiosity.

Piper stopped before a curtain. "You're Athena's daughter, right?"

Annabeth looked at her. "From the Chase?"

The brunette shook her head and grinned. "You have your mother's intelligent grey eyes." She said and opened the curtains, revealing a long table, filled with all kinds of treats and cups of teas.

Different teapots were seated on every corner of the table, dozens of chair lining up on each side. Piper saw on one of the chairs, casually picking up a random cup of tea while Annabeth stood, figuring what the hell's going on.

She saw a boy with a goatee, wearing accessories that slightly reminded her of a goat, sipping cup of tea in silence, though his eyes darted everywhere in a crazed look. Annabeth noticed that the biggest chair, placed on the farthest part of the table – the opposite of where she stood, was turned; it's back facing her."

Annabeth heard a merry tune coming from whoever was on the chair, though she had a good hunch who, and soon everyone joined the merry song. Save Annabeth.

"Excuse me," The blonde interrupted the song because she _just _couldn't stand this madness anymore. "Are you perhaps, the Mad Hatter?"

The tune stopped, but Piper and the goatee boy didn't. "Yes, what is it? We were celebrating my unbirthday, yours too! Now come and join us!"

Annabeth scowled. "Unbirthday – I'm sorry, sir. But I am here to talk about the Red Queen." She said, sick of the insanity wafting around. "προς τα κάτω με την αιματοχυσία, is that correct?"

The air grew cold and everyone stopped. It was eerily quiet, before the chair turned around, showing a figure clad in a mostly sea blue outfit. The figure wore a ridiculous top hat, their hand holding a porcelain cup. They were bending down, their unruly black hair and the top hat covering most of their face.

"So, are you going to help me or not?" Annabeth challenged and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Mr. Hatter?"

"Drop the Hatter, if you may." The figure looked up and into Annabeth's eyes. His tone was slightly ecstatic and calm at the same time, if that was possible.

"Nice to meet you, Annabeth." The man smiled. "I'm Percy Jackson."

Annabeth noticed two things;

One, his grin was insane.

Two, his green eyes was twinkling with hatred, happiness and misery.

* * *

**Phew! That was possibly the longest chapter so far! And yay! Percy's here! Expect another update the following week!**

**So, please. Review, Favorite and Follow!**

**Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day!**

**\- Carousella**


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